In an election year when Democrats are accusing the GOP of being anti-immigrant, Hispanic candidates are poised to make historic gains Tuesday – on the Republican ticket.

It’s an unusual twist on one of the dominant narratives of the election: The party that reignited the immigration debate by writing the Arizona enforcement law, pushed for repeal of the 14th Amendment, and produced hard-hitting ads against illegal immigrants is likely to wake up Wednesday with a bench of Hispanic Republicans who will be instant celebrities in the political world.

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POLITICO 44

No one will come out of Tuesday night with a more elevated profile than Marco Rubio, the former Florida House Speaker who is projected to head to the U.S. Senate. There’s already buzz about him landing on the 2012 presidential ticket as vice president, with some Republicans speculating about a Rubio-for-President bid in the not-so-distant future.

New Mexico attorney Susana Martinez is favored to emerge as the country’s first Latina governor. Former federal judge Brian Sandoval is likely to become Nevada’s first Latino governor.

And in a little-noticed development, Hispanic Republicans could win three or more seats in the House – up from three now – including in some districts that are far from majority Hispanic.

By contrast, the ranks of Hispanic Democrats in Congress and governor’s mansions are expected to remain largely static, a consequence of the party nominating the fewest number of Latinos for the House since at least 2002, none for the Senate and only one for governor. Democrats may even lose one Hispanic House member, Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.), who is struggling against Republican Ruth McClung.

“People have always tried to say Latinos are solidly Democratic, they’re always Democratic,” said Arturo Vargas, executive director of the National Association of Latino Elected Officials Education Fund, which produced the statistics in its “Races to Watch” analysis of the 2010 federal and state elections. “They’re not. It is a community whose vote is up for grabs.”

The election of several high-ranking Hispanics won’t solve the disconnect between the Republican Party and most Hispanics on immigration reform, and on its own, won’t help realize the goal set forth by former President George W. Bush and his circle of top advisers to make the party more appealing to Latinos.

Any bid to turn around the party’s image with Hispanics could no doubt be complicated by the election of hard-line immigration foes such as Nevada’s Sharron Angle to the Senate and potentially even Tom Tancredo, a former Republican House member, as Colorado governor.

Even among the Hispanic Republicans, their views on immigration – border security first, legalization later, if at all – don’t receive majority support among Hispanics, according to polls.

But the projected gains, punctuating one of the harshest campaign environments for Hispanics in years, couldn’t come at a more opportune time for the party. Republicans took a sharp turn towards an enforcement-first message and some candidates ran ads depicting Hispanics as menacing lawbreakers, prompting Democrats such as Sen. Robert Menendez of New Jersey to accuse the GOP of racism.

""Disconnect?" Only if you assume that Latino voters have no interest in a more common sense immigration policy. Legal Latino immigrants appreciate our laws and respect them. They also remember it was Ronlad Reagan who last succeeded in reforming the immigration process rather than just talk about it. Liberals would like to think all "minorities" share a big government, no social conservatism, high tax ideology. The reality is very different.

I have lived among Mexican Americans and other "Latinos" all my life. Many of those who are 3 and 4th generation Americans, don't speak Spanish and consider themselves Americans, period, are no more happy about uncontrolled immigration than us "evil white racist nativist, xenophobes, etc"

As Latinos and Asians become more settled in America, and more business-minded instead of fixated on immigration, more of them will take another look at republican principles. In Latin America itself, the nations that are rapidy becoming prosperous, after centuries of wallowing in poverty and corruption, are doing so by following the Asian model: free market capitalism, honest democratic government, free press and strict rule of law.

All those things are republican principles. The democrat party is openly socialist and anarchist. They push socialism, homosexuality, atheism, drug legalization, total chaos. Their goal is to weaken and confuse people sufficiently that they can impose their marxist fantasy at gunpoint, if necessary.

Viva los republicanos!

Here's hoping for victory for Rubio, Martinez, Sandoval, Maldonado in Cali, and many other lesser known Latino and Asian candidates nationwide, not to mention the African Americans such as West in Florida, Scott in South Carolina, etc.

Down with communism, down with liberal insanity, save traditional America, vote republican.

I don't know where you are conducting your POLLS, butr hispanics are 'CONSERVATIVES" who believe a legal immigration system works. Only bleeding heart democrats believe that something some prize must be given without efforts to maintain people enslaved to th party.

You love America, love what it stands for, believe in God and Family, value your blessing, work hard for the causes, you are Republican Like Me!

The asians came up with Capitalism, Democracy and Freedom? Really? If so, please explain why asian countries are so Third World in everything from their wages to their caste system to their peoples starving to death.

This just goes to show you that the Centrist Republicans, the RINO Republicans who say we've got to lurch left to appeal to more people...could not be more wrong. What we have to do is stick to our basic conservative principles. Give people a clear choice, with bold confidence...not pastel colors. Don't apologize for being principled, don't compromise on your core values...even when the state controlled media tries to paint you as an extremist. They are communists at heart...and they will fight you every step of the way because they despise the greatness of America, the limited government of the people, the constitution, and freedom of the individual. So don't try to be liked by them. Fight them, beat them with ideas and leadership. Reagan did it, and we know how much they hated Reagan.

Rubio will shine on the National scene. The radicals in the Democratic party are truly frightened of him because hes good looking, educated, Cuban ancestry , well mannered and he has a good message . He doesnt flip and flop all over like Charlie Crist.....

Rubio could be chosen as VP on a Republican ticket...the big question is is there anyone good enough to be the Presidential candidate ?? So far its a sorry looking group and they are going to have to find some candidate with soem real charisma and a good message.......and please no oldies and moldies like Newtie or Ricky Santorum - ugh- or Fred Thompson etc etc most of the others have zero appeal also.......

Rubio's family is from Cuba. Latinos don't like Cubans. Cubans feel they come in through the front door. They are the ones given Anmesty. They are the only ones who like to break the law and get away with it. AND REPUBLICANS stop mentioning GOD. THOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE LORDS NAME IN VEIN!!!! Republicans do that constantly and it is bothersome.

Democrats are not anti-christ and everything else you mentioned. We don't judge. Why? Because the last time I checked there was only one God, and I wasn't it. And neither was Glenn Beck or anyone else Republican. And the new Republican is lazy. They are the ones that are unemployed, not working, living off the government and complaining and beating people up, and shooting people. The new Democrat works 2-3 jobs and pays its bills. I am a proud Democrat.

The asians came up with Capitalism, Democracy and Freedom? Really? If so, please explain why asian countries are so Third World in everything from their wages to their caste system to their peoples starving to death.

Obviously, the Asians are following in the path of the US and other capitalist nations. But, most of the Asian "economic tigers" of today first tried socialism, when they first gained independence. But, the first to go capitalist was Japan, and Japan became the example for Taiwan, etc.

The Asians resisted capitalism and democracy, and rejected those ideas as "western", until they saw how Japan was prospering. then they followed along. NOW, the Latin American nations are doing the same thing. It's like the Africans in this country, who resist learning to read and write because "that's acting white".

Now, they see a success story like Obama and begin to realize, "hey, its ok to be a good student"

If the Democrat party thinks the latino community which includes dozens of nationalities is gonna vote in lock step for them they have another thing coming, we are not African Americans. I for one will be casting my vote for Boozman in Arkansas sending Blanche Lincoln into retirement. The latino community is for the most part is pro-life, pro-marriage, pro- school choice, and pro work, these issues make the Republican party a perfect fit for latino, and soon they will come to see that in droves, another thing the Dems fail to consider is that most of the latino community comes from nations where Socialist and or Communist have forced them to leave so why would they vote for the same things the abandoned.......VOTE AMERICA,,,,VOTE REPUBLICAN

I'm Hispanic and a proud conservative American Republican ... I am looking forward though to more high-minded left-wing elitist calling me "racist", "scared", "stupid" or whatever other epithet they can think of come Wednesday ... Why? Because we're going to win, we're going to take this country back to its strong founding principles, and that's all that matters!! :-)